Sep 2014

Impulse is a community newsletter produced by the Northern California Society for Psychoanalytic Psychology (NCSPP) and distributed electronically at no cost to subscribers. We envision Impulse as an integrative source for local news, events, and thinking of interest to the psychoanalytically inclined. Our goal is to be your guide as you explore the Bay Area's rich array of analytic resources.

We invite you to become a member of NCSPP, if you are not already. And, we welcome you as a subscriber to Impulse. Join us as we highlight the exceptional diversity of psychoanalytic thought and practice in Northern California.

The theme of the 2015 Division 39 Spring Meeting is "Life in Psychoanalysis in Life." I've heard it explained as psychoanalysis off the couch. The basic idea is that lines have been drawn around psychoanalysis, limiting it to certain domains. I believe this is true. As my colleague Tiffany McLain has said, psychoanalysis has a marketing problem. Most of the people writing about psychoanalysis to a wider audience are not psychoanalysts. Many times people have begun conversations (polite critiques, really, with some not so polite) by citing Freud. While I'm a fan of Freud, I still like to point out that there have been over 50 years of thinking and development since he stopped writing.

Perhaps no single word in the English language is tasked with such a multiplicity of meanings as "love." And there is no lack of rigorous (and sometimes inspired) academic work to describe the various facets, expressions, positions, and forms of love.

One of the more interesting of these threads, described by Thanopulos (2012), unpacks the relationship between love and responsibility. In the journey towards intersubjectivity, the individual transitions from a possessive love that denies desire and agency to its object to a responsible love that protects the autonomy of an acknowledged subject.

Epigenetics, Psychoanalysis, and Listening to Parents. This opinion piece utilizes a recent publication linking gene expression with the quality of early relationships in order to advocate for systemic change that better supports parents in meeting their responsibilities.

Ben Pobje: "Forget the phoney psychoanalysis and instead celebrate Robin Williams' rare talent." In cautioning people against using pop psychology to explain the death of Robin Williams, the author adopts a singularly psychoanalytic stance: he acknowledges the complexity and mystery at the center of each human mind, and he encourages people to listen more while speaking less.

The End of an Era for Michael Murphy. A reporter wanders casually through the life and times of Michael Murphy, an Irish newsreader who also happens to be a psychoanalyst.

NCSPP and the Psychoanalytic Couple Psychotherapy Group (PCPG) are honored to bring Andrew Balfour, Clinical Director of the Tavistock Centre for Couple Relationships, to present his paper, "Growing Old Together in Mind and Body: A Psychoanalytic Exploration of Couples in Older Age."

JOIN A GROUP OF INDEPENDENT PSYCHOTHERAPISTS at Associated Counselors who meet weekly in San Jose for ongoing support, consultation and marketing. We have a full time office available soon. For more information contact: Karen Wride, LCSW at (408) 886-7143.

THE CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY DOCTORAL PROGRAM (PsyD) at CIIS is seeking a core faculty member/director of clinical training. This position involves teaching courses, advising dissertation students, engaging in scholarship, and leading clinical placement and related training activities. The Program's distinctive approach to clinical psychology training is guided by a vision of clinical practice that emphasizes a holistic and relational approach to the human condition. Psychodynamic, existential and Buddhist perspectives are emphasized throughout the curriculum. More information about the Program and this position can be found at http://www.ciis.edu/About_CIIS/Job_Opportunities/Director_of_Clinical_Training.html/

OPENINGS FOR AN ONGOING CONSULTATION GROUP with Mirta Berman-Oelsner and Era A. Loewenstein. Contemporary British object relations perspective. A good work group with a range of clinical experience discussing adult, adolescent and child psychotherapy and psychoanalysis. Beginning October 11th. Five meetings a year, every other month, San Francisco, Saturdays, 3:45 to 5:30 pm. $65 per meeting. For more information please contact:eraaloewenstein@gmail.com or (415) 695-9656.

KENTFIELD OFFICE SUBLET. Well-maintained building on Sir Francis Drake Blvd across fro College of Marin. Fully-furnished with waiting room, separate exit, kitchenette, free parking. Suitable for children, psychotherapy and psychoanalysis. Includes toys and large doll house. Available Wednesday until 2:30pm, all day Friday and Saturday. Call Bert Faerstein at (415) 673-1290.

About NCSPP

The Northern California Society for Psychoanalytic Psychology (NCSPP) is committed to the study of psychoanalytic psychology and the encouragement of its interest in the professional and general communities. We are a multi-disciplinary, non-profit membership organization open to mental health professionals and all others interested in the study of psychoanalytic psychology.

Our more than 650 members form a community that spans the greater Bay Area and Northern California. NCSPP is a local affiliate of Division 39 (psychoanalysis) of the American Psychological Association. Our vast array of lectures, intensive study groups, scientific meetings, courses, our journal fort da, and numerous special events and projects are all brought to you by scores of volunteers who work to support NCSPP’s mission. Our educational programs include continuing education credit for psychologists, marriage and family therapists, and licensed clinical social workers. We welcome you into the psychoanalytic community in Northern California. Join us.

Each month, Impulse reaches over 1,830 psychoanalytically interested professionals and students in Northern California.

Article references are available upon request.

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Impulse is a monthly newsletter published by the Northern California Society for Psychoanalytic Psychology for the purpose of connecting Northern California psychoanalytic practitioners, students, and scholars. Impulse aims to foster the development of psychoanalytic practice and thought in our region through collaboration and understanding.

For information on submitting event listings and other content to Impulse, please see our guidelines and policies page on the NCSPP web site.